Journal Jots – Blog

“This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

—1 Corinthians 11:24

I know this may surprise some people, but to me, Easter is my favorite day of the year. Yes, Christmas is nice with all the magic of Christ’s birth, Christmas carols and cookies, the scent of pine and cinnamon, family and snow (except for those brats who live in Florida, and yes, Joetta and Heather, I am talking about YOU!!). But there is just something SO holy and SO special about Easter, you know? I guess because it helps me to remember all that Christ did for me—a sinner who never did and does not now—deserve either His grace or His shed Blood.

And yet I have both—a miracle that never fails to bring tears to my eyes. Why? Because I flat-out don’t deserve it. Yes, I’m a nice person who loves to encourage and love on people and seeks after God with all of my heart, but I am also flesh. And in my mind that flesh—be it road anger at someone driving too slow or jealousy over someone else’s contest win or failings that have hurt my heart AND His far too long—negates any goodness I may think I have. “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23.

Yes, “fallen short” … and continue to do so every day of my life.

Which is EXACTLY why Easter is so important to me. To remember that despite a mountain of sins that seem to grow taller everyday, I am forgiven, washed clean by the Blood of Christ, prostrate and sobbing in the rain at the foot of the cross. No matter the wounds I inflicted on Christ’s broken body this very week alone, Easter looms—a beacon of hope that God loves me no matter what I do, say or am because the truth is I am His and with the mere utterance of my sorrow from a truly repentant heart, I am free. Free!! From myself and the guilt that constrains, free to be all He’s called me to be—a child of the King, cloaked in the holy warmth of God’s forgiveness, mercy and love. OH, what a joyous day!!

And so I remember. Remember not just what He did for me, but what He continues to do in the life of this staunch Christian who just can’t seem to get it right. I remember—with painful gratitude—that because He died, I live.

Last Sunday our pastor told a wonderful story, which, no surprise, had me sodden with tears. It seems there was this elderly couple celebrating their 65^th anniversary, and so the family held a large party for them with lots of family, friends, food and presents. The old couple were ushered in, tottering ever so slowly to two chairs at the front of the auditorium. Holding hands, they sat and watched the celebration with tired but contented smiles, enjoying the music the family had selected from the couple’s era. All at once, the couple’s song began to play, and the man wobbled to his feet, offering his sweetheart a gnarled hand. Frail fingers took his as she rose, legs unsteady but smile sure, the two shuffling in a circle at an unhurried pace. Their arthritic bodies were jerky, slow and stiff … until the man leaned close to his wife’s ear and whispered something that brought a shy smile to her lips. Their laughter was soft and low and so intimate, those watching felt almost an intrusion. All at once the man dipped his wife back with shaky motion and then again with a grace that seemed impossibly smooth. Before everyone’s eyes, their dance seemed to whirl into the past where he was tall and handsome and she, small and shy, the beauty who’d first caught his eye at summer ice cream social. Time fell away, taking with it the aches and agony of age while they moved as one, fluid and fearless like the young lovers they used to be. Remembering a past that had brought them so much joy.

Remembering. It’s what it’s all about for me at Easter. Remembering—really remembering—how He took me from the darkness into His glorious light. Remembering that without Him, I would be lost. But on Easter—oh, precious Easter—I am miraculously found!!!

May each and every one of us take the time to remember this Easter and be found anew, resting in the arms of a gracious Savior and a truly glorious God.

Since Easter is a celebration of rebirth, I thought it would be fun to share pix of my new granddaughter Rory, who has given me a glorious rebirth as a mother of sorts, allowing me another chance to finally get it right. 🙂

Rory at 6 months:

My daughter Amy and Rory:

A shower Amy & I gave at our house (the famous lower deck where I do most of my writing!):

LAST-MINUTE GIVEAWAY!!

Join me for a last-minute giveaway at Journeys by Joy through Monday, April 9. Just leave a comment and be entered to win your choice of any of my books including A Love Surrendered when it releases. Here’s the link:

http://www.journeystojoy.net/2012/04/have-you-read-julie-lessmans-books.html

THE SALE IS STILL ON … Steven’s story, A Love Surrendered is ON SALE IN PRE-ORDER!!! For a very limited time, you can pre-order A Love Surrendered for only $7.72, which is almost half off, so if you plan to order it, NOW is the time to do it and if you do, PLEASE like the link, okay? Here are the links, but keep in mind that CBD.com’s sale price may not be loaded yet:

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/isbn=0800734173/bakerbookhouseA

Barnes and Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-surrendered-a-julie-lessman/1108614896?ean=9780800734176&afsrc=1&itm=1&r=1&z=y&

Christianbook.com:

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?isbn=9780800734176&event=AFF&p=1011504

Happy Easter, all!!

Hugs,

Julie

 

 

“I have become all things to all people

so that by all possible means I might save some.”

 —St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 9:21-22

What can I say—when God handed out “passion,” I got a boatload. Not just passion for God, my family and romance, although those things obviously top the charts for me, but passion in everything I do. As a CDQ (caffeinated drama queen), I talk fast, walk fast, eat fast and brush my teeth fast, scouring with a vengeance. Good heavens, is it any wonder I have receding gums???

I cry just about every time I worship God at church or with worship music on my treadmill, over commercials or when I simply think about God’s goodness to me. The truth is I am a weepy, emotional, passionate woman who is also passionate about the truth. Not a good combination if you’re looking to impress the world or want to be considered “the norm,” which I will be the first to admit, I’m not. Not in my personality nor in my writing. I feel deeply, I believe deeply and I live deeply.

Which is why what you read from me is what you get. Whether writing novels or blogs or letters or e-mails, I literally open a vein and bleed onto the keyboard because it’s who I am, who God made me to be. Some people like it, some don’t. But I have to be honest—the ones who don’t have a way of making you feel less, like you are not all God expects you to be, like you are a disobedient stepchild who needs to be disciplined. And I gotta tell you—if God had treated me like some of these people do, I wouldn’t be writing this to you today, nor would you be reading my books because there flat-out wouldn’t be any.

What is it with some people, that they cannot see the forest for the trees? Cannot see that Jesus commands us to love others, not judge them? Goodness, Jesus would turn their world upside down today with His penchant for having dinner with sinners or defending prostitutes! And don’t even get me started on what they would think of St. Paul, who chose “to be all things to all people for the sake of Christ.”

For me, being a passionate CDQ is a good thing most of the time, but the flip side for a person who feels this much is that when someone cuts you with words, it hurts like the devil. Mmm … appropriate phraseology, I’d say, because that’s his M.O.—condemning rather than convicting, hurting rather than healing. And unfortunately, all too often it’s other Christians he uses to do it.

Like the letter I just got from a disgruntled reader yesterday who called my books “indecent,” saying “there is no place in Christian fiction for this depth of detail,” and that “there is enough of this stuff in the world” without it being in the Christian market as well. And you know what? She’s right. There IS “enough of this stuff in the world,” which is all the more reason the Christian community needs to rise up and fight fire with fire and be “all things to all people for the sake of Christ.” This disgruntled reader would be shocked to learn that most of my friends, Christian and non, read secular romance, which, of course, generally promotes the world’s amoral lifestyle rather than God’s. What’s wrong with this picture? I mean if the world can take something that God created and use it to sell its amoral agenda, then why can’t Christians utilize this God-given passion to promote Him and His precepts?

Look at the world today—it’s obsessed with illicit passion. Hollywood promotes adultery and unmarried couples sleeping together as sexy, and I can count on one hand how many young, unmarried women I know who are still virgins today, Christian or no. Why? Because passion is important! Not just to romance readers, but to everyone on the planet. We were created that way by a passionate God who analogizes His own depth of love for each of us in a very passionate love letter called “Song of Solomon.” And what happens? The world uses this beautiful, God-given gift to shove sin down peoples’ throats, and I, for one, am really sick of it. I want to use passion the way it was intended—to teach people God’s precepts and therein, His love. It’s the cry of my heart, and I hope and pray that for my readers, my stories of romantic passion translate into passion for God.

But those who disagree with me do give me pause to think … and to pray … that I stay the course with God’s plan and not my own. I thank them for their passion for purity, which I assure them, is as fervent as mine and which inspires me to be even more vigilant and careful in future stories I write. And, yes, I do understand the concern and “passion” of those who feel Christian romance must remain chaste and pure. But on the other side of the spectrum, there are Christians like me, who worry that “chaste and pure” will not reach the majority of Nora Roberts or Hannah Montana or the MTV crowd anymore than old-time Gospel music will reach those who listen to Christian rock such as Pillar or Underoath. The Body of Christ is just that—a body of human beings at varying levels of faith. It’s not one size fits all in reaching people for Christ, but it’s the cry of St. Paul who said “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” Salt … in an unsavory world.

And so, I will do what I always do when I receive letters or reviews like this—I will pray for God’s abundant blessings on this person and then for anointing to respond properly and lovingly. Because as much as I hate stubbing my own toe, the last thing I want to do is stub or inflict pain on any part of my body—“the Body of Christ.”

Thank you SO much for allowing me to vent today, and I cannot adequately express my heartfelt appreciation to those of you who support me with your friendship and love. YOU are an extension of God’s love in my life and I pray that I can be the same to you.

BE INSPIRED!! CHECK OUT PEPPER BASHAM’S GREAT SERIES, “SPRINGS OF INSPIRATION,” featuring excerpts from authors such as Jamie Carie, Mary Connealy, Melanie Dickerson, Ruth Logan Herne, Myra Johnson, Siri Mitchell, Missy Tippens and MOI (with one of my FAVORITE spiritual excerpts from my books)!! Head on over to the link below and scroll down to catch the whole series, then check out my excerpt on Friday, March 30! Hope to see you there. Here’s the link:

 http://pepperbasham.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/springs-of-inspiration-with-julie-lessman/

 

LAST-MINUTE GIVEAWAY:

APRIL 3-9, 2012:

JOIN ME FOR A LAST-MINUTE GIVEAWAY AT JOURNEYS BY JOY. Leave a comment and be entered to win your choice of any of my books including A Love Surrendered when it releases. Here’s the link:

 

http://www.journeystojoy.net/

 

THE SALE IS STILL ON … Steven’s story, A Love Surrendered is ON SALE IN PRE-ORDER!!! For a very limited time, you can pre-order A Love Surrendered for only $7.72, which is almost half off, so if you plan to order it, NOW is the time to do it and if you do, PLEASE like the link, okay? Here are the links, but keep in mind that CBD.com’s sale price may not be loaded yet:

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/isbn=0800734173/bakerbookhouseA

Barnes and Noble:
 

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-surrendered-a-julie-lessman/1108614896?ean=9780800734176&afsrc=1&itm=1&r=1&z=y&

Christianbook.com:

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?isbn=9780800734176&event=AFF&p=1011504

 

Thanks for the shoulder to cry on and Happy Weekend!

Hugs,

Julie

 

 

Halfway through his sandwich,

he expelled a noisy breath. “Why are we arguing?”

She turned, chin elevated and brows raised.

“Because you’re dimwitted and scared?”

—A Love Surrendered by Julie Lessman

HAPPY FRIDAY and what a FUN week it’s been!! Lots of cool things have gone on in the last seven days, not the least of which was my trip to my publisher in Grand Rapids last week. What a GREAT group of people to work with and what hospitality!! Revell is simply, hands-down, a class act, and I am SO blessed to be a part of this amazing Baker Book group. From a lovely dinner with my editor Lonnie and publicist Claudia (LOVE these two!!!) and a Martha-Stewart-eat-your-heart-out luncheon at the beautiful home of one of my favorite Revell people and blog-tour administrator, Donna … to a great brainstorming meeting for the Heart of San Francisco series and a book signing at Baker Book House, the trip was a true highlight of my writing career.

My heartfelt thanks to the Revell team for making my visit so memorable including Chris at the Baker Book Store AND the incredible reader friends who attended my book signing—you were the icing on the cake! A special thanks to Amanda and her mom Chris and sister Sara for driving two hours one way to see me and spending the night in Grand Rapids to do so as well and then Joy, who drove an hour and a half one way—you guys and the others who took the time to come TOTALLY blessed the socks off me, so THANK YOU!!

The second thing that made my week fun was a Google Alert I got that brought a YouTube video entitled “A Passion Most Pure” to my attention. I didn’t know this, but apparently some young people got together and made a video based on my debut novel, and I gotta tell you, they did an incredible job!! It’s flat-out adorable, and I hope you get the chance to check it out. Here’s the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1i2LWMYmYhU

The third thing that made my week fun was that I sent the final ms. for Love at any Cost to my editor yesterday, and she will read it in the next few days, so PLEASE say one for me, okay? Soooo good to not only finally finish it, but I actually like it too, so I hope you do as well.

Another cool thing this week is that not only has A Heart Revealed been at #4 on Amazon’s “Top Rated Religious Romance,” but has also been on sale on Amazon Kindle at $2.99 all week long as well until this Sunday, March 25, so if you haven’t read it yet, DO take advantage. Here’s the link on the Amazon Top Rated list, but be advised that Amazon alternates the list I’m on with another one, so it may change in a day or two.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/top-rated/digital-text/158439011/ref=zg_bs_tab_t_tr?pf_rd_p=1331612862&pf_rd_s=right-8&pf_rd_t=2101&pf_rd_i=list&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0SMNCV6HKSBJCM4W663N

FINALLY … the last exciting thing is that Steven’s story, A Love Surrendered is ON SALE IN PRE-ORDER!!! You heard me, for a very limited time, you can pre-order A Love Surrendered for only $7.72, which is almost half off, so if you plan to order it, NOW is the time to do it and if you do, PLEASE like the link, okay? Here are the links, but keep in mind that CBD.com’s sale price may not be loaded yet:

Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/isbn=0800734173/bakerbookhouseA

Barnes and Noble:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/love-surrendered-a-julie-lessman/1108614896?ean=9780800734176&afsrc=1&itm=1&r=1&z=y&

Christianbook.com:

http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?isbn=9780800734176&event=AFF&p=1011504

And so, to celebrate the pre-order sale price, I’m going to leave you with a short clip from A Love Surrendered to whet your appetite. This scene is in a diner after Steven rescues Annie from a speakeasy during a raid and he confronts her for the first time with the fact that she has not told him she’s the younger sister of his old girlfriend Maggie, the woman he was going to marry (and the girl his father found him on the couch with in A Hope Undaunted).

Happy Reading and Happy Weekend!

Hugs,

Julie

His coffee spilled when he jerked up his mug, the liquid scalding his fingers like her deception scalded his temper. “You have nothing to say?”

A knot shifted in her throat and she looked up, almost a square to her shoulders as she steeled her jaw. “I was wrong, Steven, I should have told you. But I never expected—” She lowered her gaze to blow on her coffee, obviously in an effort to stall.

“Never expected what?” he asked sharply, glaring over the rim of his cup. She took a timid sip while a full range of emotions flickered across her beautiful face—from hesitation and worry, to vulnerability and shame. And something deeper that raced his pulse and tightened his gut all at the same time.

She drew in a deep breath before forging on, her gaze finally rising to meet his. “I never expected to …” Her voice trailed off until it was barely audible. “fall in love with you,” she said quietly, the truth hovering in the air like the steam from the coffee.

She may as well have tossed it in his face—it burned all the same. His jaw went as firm as his will. “You’re not in love with me, Annie.”

A frail sigh withered from her lips while a sheen of sadness welled in her eyes. “I wasn’t sure either,” she whispered, “until you kissed me that night when you took Glory and me home.”

He bent forward, palms clutching the table and his tone so harsh and cutting, he saw her flinch. “That was a mistake.”

“Yes …” she whispered, tears giving way to glints of anger, “it was, Steven, because that night you planted the seed of hope that someday you might feel for me what I feel for you.”

He slammed his fist on the table, spilling his coffee. “Blast it, Annie, you’re too young.”

“That’s just an excuse, and we both know it.”

His mouth went slack. “For the love of all that’s decent—you’re Maggie’s kid sister! Do you really think I can do this with you?”

She hoisted her chin, blinking back her tears. “I not only think you can, I think you do, but you’re too stubborn to admit it.”

He gaped, shaking his head as he dropped back in the seat, arm draped over the top. His lips parted in a smile that clearly conveyed his disbelief. “You’re out of your mind, kid, you know that? Drink your coffee,” he ordered, “the alcohol’s still muddling your brain.”

She did what he said, eyes averted and manner calming as if every drink she took braced her for battle. When she finished, she carefully laid the mug down and folded her hands neatly on the table, looking for all her eighteen years and tear-splotched face as if she were the adult and he was the pie-eyed kid on a bender. “What are you afraid of, Steven?”

That did it. “You want to know what I’m afraid of?” he demanded. “I’m afraid of this—some kid still wet behind the ears thinking it’s smart to fool around with a guy like me.”

“I have no intention of ‘fooling around’ with you,” she said quietly, the strength of her words belying the softness of her tone. “No matter how I feel about you.”

He stared open-mouthed, heat scalding his neck at the audacity of her statement. His pride prickled. Who did she think she was? Women threw themselves at him all the time. For pity’s sake, her own sister threw herself at him! And she thought she’d be different? He folded arms on the table and leaned in. “Don’t be so sure, little sister,” he said, a trace of anger in a voice that was husky and low. “You Kennedys don’t have the best track record, you know.”

He heard the sharp catch of her breath and took satisfaction in the blush that broiled her cheeks. And then she opened fire like one of Capone’s thugs, gunning him down with a flash of her eyes. “Well, this is a different Kennedy, Agent O’Connor, and a different sister, and you know what? I think you’re running scared. You can deny your feelings all you want, but the truth is, you kissed me—not once, but twice, not to mention interfering in my life at every turn—”

“Interfering in your life?” His voice rose along with his blood pressure.

She defied him with a hard thrust of her chin, eyes glittering. “Yes, first with Billy Brubaker, then Joe and Nate Phillips and now Eddie tonight when you dragged me away.”

“Dragged-you-away?” He blinked, barely able to believe he was wasting good breath arguing with a kid who was obviously as thick as she was tipsy. “I should have let them throw your carcass in jail, you brainless brat, and then you’d be Aunt Eleanor’s problem, not mine.”

“Exactly,” she snapped, as if he’d just proven her point. “But you didn’t. You risked your job and your reputation to haul me out of there tonight, so if we’re going to talk “brainless,” Agent O’Connor, then I suggest you look in the mirror because unless I miss my guess, you are one dim-witted man with his head in the sand.”

Miss Perky chose that moment to light on the booth, as welcome as a plague of locusts. “Here you go, two burgers, two orders of French fried potatoes, a slab of peach pie and a glass of milk.” She dazzled them with a grin. “Anything else?”

Steven forced a smile, jaw clenched so tight his teeth ached. “Just the check.”

“Sure thing.” She placed the bill on the table and patted it for good measure. “Enjoy!”

Grinding his jaw, he grabbed his burger and bit in hard, singeing Annie with a glare.

She didn’t seem to notice, annoying him to no end. Lips pursed, she carefully cut her burger in half and took a dainty bite while perusing the menu with apparent fascination.

Halfway through his sandwich, he expelled a noisy breath. “Why are we arguing?”

She turned, chin elevated and brows raised. “Because you’re dimwitted and scared?”

He hurled his half-eaten burger on the plate. “Don’t start with me, Annie.”

“All right, Steven, how ‘bout I finish with you instead? Just because I’m in love with you doesn’t mean you can bully me around like some … some snot-nosed kid fresh off the farm.”

“You are some snot-nosed kid fresh off the farm,” he hissed.

“Fine. Have it your way—there are plenty of guys who see me otherwise.”

A harsh laugh erupted from his throat. “Oh, yeah, I’ve seen the kind of jokers you attract. Like that clown tonight with his hands all over you.”

She pushed her burger away, the anger in her tone matching her eyes. “He-was-consoling-me, you dimwit, and at least he’s man enough to take a chance on a girl that he likes.”

Her statement barbed, discharging his temper with a hard smile. “Sure, why not when he knows he can get what he wants?”

Her breath hitched, and he regretted the words the moment they left his mouth, but it was too late. Her face sagged from anger into hurt. Chin trembling, she silently rose, hands shaking while she groped for her purse.

“Annie, look, I’m sorry—”

But not as sorry as he was gonna be. Taking a step forward, she hauled off and slapped him so hard he never saw it coming, bells clanging in his skull as loudly as those from the door when it slammed hard behind her.